I’m know you’re sick of ads and presidential candidates accusing each other of lying, voting against your cause and wearing the wrong type of underpants. But the environment’s ongoing climate change needs your vote tomorrow.

The way we consume products has changed drastically in the past 60-70 years from a nation that has (unknowingly) conserved and valued resources to a disposable society. In some ways we’ve advanced in amazing ways, yet in other ways we’re struggling.

I know that convenience is awesome. But why are Americans spending money to purchase tap water from Fiji, France and “Deer Park” when we’re one of the fortunate nations to have an unlimited supply of clean water straight from their tap? Ever think about how corporations buy their way into the government through lobbyists, convincing us we’re doing the right thing?

So what the F does that have to do with the presidential election tomorrow? And where do the candidates stand?

Tomorrow is the day you can voice your opinion by simply pushing a button (or pulling a lever) in the privacy of your own booth. You can say you care about our future and where our energy comes from. You have all the power to either propel our nation forward, or set us back.

Although “climate change” was downplayed in the debates, we can tell from previous statements which candidate cares about the environment.

• Mitt Romney on oil and gas permits on public lands: “I’ll double them.”
• Mitt Romney: “By the way, I like coal.”
• President Obama: “The oil industry gets $4 billion a year in corporate welfare. Why wouldn’t we want to eliminate that?”
• President Obama: “We’ve got to look at the energy sources of the future, like wind and solar.”

President Obama’s environmental section on his website pledges to invest in renewable energy (which has more than doubled under him), address climate change and preserve Public Lands for our future generations. (Romney wants to sell off 3.3 million acres of public lands for which he doesn’t know the purpose.) Obama has doubled fuel efficiency standards for cars (to 54.5 mpg), which means our dollar will go further at the pump more than ever. He’s set a carbon pollution target to cut emissions – and as Bill McKibben can tell you, our time is running out with wasting carbon. Obama has established plans to protect our oceans, restore ecosystems & signed one of the largest wildlife protections in a generation. President Obama is the candidate who recognizes climate change is a crucial issue during the campaign.Mitt Romney doesn’t even bother to have an environmental section on his website. A vote for Romney would be disaster for the environment according to his plans: He would oversee fossil fuel development on federal lands, weaken enviro-regulations, give a free-for-all to coal companies, open new areas to drilling, approve that god-awful Keystone XL pipeline, and cut those amazing fuel-economy standards that the President just approved. If anything, Romney’s a climate change denier and the presidential candidate who won’t care.
As far as what ends up on our plates, Romney has a love affair for corporate farming (and healthy eating-disaster) giant Monsanto. Monsanto & Romney/Bain were tied back to 1973 with PCB, DDT & Agent Orange – while  aware of the dangers of these pesticides (and covering them up). Yet Mitt & Ann dine on healthy, organic food at home regardless of publicly supporting GMOs.VP candidate Paul Ryan mentioned the $90 billion of “green pork” during the VP debate – but that green “pork” was actually given to homeowners for greener homes, constructed high-speed rail lines and installed equipment for greener energy.In sum, I’m voting for a President (and public officials) that don’t just care about making a quick buck today but will make choices to ensure the next generations have clean air, water and oceans. I want a president that will make companies disclose when they use chemicals in food or substitute a GMO crop for an organic one. I want to be able to enjoy sushi without worrying about how much damn plastic that marine life has absorbed while eating due to our senseless pollution. Most importantly, I want a president that will put money into ‘clean’ energy alternatives instead of investing billions of dollars in oil company that feed our addiction for gas, plastics and climate change. That’s the future to help our economy – not investing in the clean dirty coal.

I’m voting for the environment tomorrow. I’ll push that lever for Barack Obama. But I still know that regardless of who wins, it’s an uphill battle to fight for a healthy, clean lifestyle. He’ll just make the path a lot easier.

One final note: For those who think Mitt Romney will save our economy overnight, it’s not going to be an easy recovery. But would you rather have a quick band-aid for the “economy” to destroy public lands and continue to pollute our environment, or would you prefer to look to the long-term solutions for our children and grandchildren? After all, it’s not the environment we’re trying to preserve. It’s our overall well-being.

 

Photos: Solar Feeds & Sierra Club

array(3) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7984 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(65)
    ["name"]=>
    string(12) "Barack Obama"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(12) "barack-obama"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(65)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(12)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [1]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7985 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(2849)
    ["name"]=>
    string(8) "election"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(8) "election"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(2863)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(3)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [2]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7982 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(2165)
    ["name"]=>
    string(11) "Mitt Romney"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(11) "mitt-romney"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(2175)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(2)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher